The Need to Develop Links for Reconciliation

Since the end of the  thirty year war in May 2009, Sri Lanka has been at a stagnant point vis-a-vis reconciliation.  Whilst infrastructural development has taken off, the larger political and social components of post war reconciliation have yet to gain much momentum.

A lot of this inertia can be attributed to a reactionary impulse of the government to deflect widespread international criticism about how the last stages of the war was handled coming from many Western governments and institutions, perceived to be  largely pressurised by a vocal and influential Tamil Diaspora largely affiliated with the LTTE. As a consequence, much needed concerted and focussed engagement with members of the Sri Lankan expatriate community has been at best patchy.

The recently released report of the Sri Lankan government appointed LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) alluded to this, when it recommended that the Government engage with and encourage those expatriate groups interested in redevelopment and reconciliation efforts. 

This is a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s recent history as there is now a window of opportunity to work on a comprehensive package of reconciliation that could not only meet political aspirations but also grass roots needs, providing a space for them to express themselves.

Creating this secure environment of equity and social justice is one of the current needs of the hour. However creating that space is not easy.  It will have to be done organically and will need to entail developing alliances which reach out to the other and which take responsibility to move beyond victimhood by acknowledging each other’s narrative, empathising and hearing the other’s stories and ultimately working with each other in order to provide a safe space where special programmes of social engineering to build bridges, facilitate cross faith interactions and regain inter community trust can be rebuilt and the past can be acknowledged in a way that does not negate it but allows one to move forward.

 

For the last 30 years or more, suspicion and distrust between and among the different communities have been displayed openly, and the perception of the “other”- the Sinhalese of the Tamils, the Tamils of the Sinhalese, the Tamils and Sinhalese of the Muslims; has been fed on hate and insensitivities for varying beliefs. This is even more exacerbated in the UK, where the lenses with which different communities are viewed are coloured by old narratives.

So the question becomes how can the Sri Lankan expat community be mobilised and empowered to play a role to bring out about reconciliation that moves away from apportioning blame for deceit and destruction?  Rebuilding trust will mean honouring unity and celebrating diversity, working towards equity and justice and ensuring the eradication of social prejudices in building a collective identity. 

In short, we must learn to listen closely to one another, not simply because it is polite, but because it is just possible that we might learn something important about ourselves, become better human beings, and build a better world in the process.

The first step in doing this is to open a space where members of all Sri Lankan ethnicities within the UK can come and openly talk, understand and ultimately address issues of mutual concern.  The second step is to jointly identify projects which bring mutual benefit to both sides.  It is in this that BUILD as an organisation can play a facilitation role.  Through its linking programs and its partners involved in linking particularly in Sri Lanka, it can offer opportunities and safe spaces for second and third generation British of Sri Lankan heritage to rediscover their roots, to realign the narrative whilst contributing to helping communities and the country build back better.  Second and third generations do not have the same baggage as their forefathers, but they often have a skewered lens with which they view their countries of heritage.  This prevents them from providing much needed skills and advice towards bettering these countries.  By seeing things on the ground first hand, these opinions can be changed.  Linking provides opportunities for this.  This is now the project that I am working on with regards encouraging this new generation of ‘Sri Lankans’ to revisit the country and discover for themselves the realities on the ground, in the hope that they can play positive roles and change the country for the better.

Sri Lanka is now at the cross roads of moving forward, cleansed of the past and with a chance to develop a common vision shared by all towards collective nation building and prosperity or to plunge back into another unknown era of bitter interethnic rivalries fanned by divisive politics. 

Given the space, Sri Lanka can reconcile and hold people to account.  The Sri Lankan expat community and Diaspora have a unique opportunity to facilitate this.